Always fun to watch so-called Christians freak out because they are reminded that there is a world out there more generous than they could ever manage.

Coca Cola is the official soft drink of illegals crossing the border.

Except that one they get here, they get the crappy Coca Cola made with HFCS rather than the Coca Cola made with real sugar that is on the shelves south of the border. If they were coming here for the Coca Cola, they’re hugely disappointed, I think.

The wonderful thing about conservatives is that average people find their ideas repellant — and the conservatives are too stupid to realize that, so they keep trumpeting their ideas anyway.

That’s what makes the endless “rebranding” of the GOP such a hilarious comedy: They now think their key to success involves pretending not to be the xenophobic, homophobic, misogynist assholes they actually are, and that they are capable of hiding those things somehow even as they affirm them at every turn.

Consider, for example, Rand Paul’s (and the entire party’s) failure to comprehend the “war on women.” By using the word “war” liberals completely perplexed right-wingers (metaphor is one level of abstraction more than the conservative mind can handle).

What we mean, of course, is that conservative policies treat women as inferior beings. What else could be behind the policy that presumes women don’t realize their fetuses have heartbeats, and that their mothering instincts will override their intellect once they see that heart in action? They can’t even see the implicit lack of respect for women wrapped up in that policy — and they compound it by continually claiming innocence of the charges.

So I guess they have a point: It’s not a “War on Women” so much as “An Inability to Grant Women Reproductive Freedom or to Care That Women Are Underpaid, Etc.”

These people are so stupid they wouldn’t piss themselves if their pants were on fire.

Actually, I am a Republican and consider myself to be quite conservative. However, I had no problem with the ad. It was just a commercial, for Pete’s sake. Would it have been my choice to go ahead with it the way it was done? Probably not…but a little perspective is in order. I believe (and it would appear to be corroborated here) that the over-reaction of the GOP simply played directly into the hands of the folks on the left in their generic characterization of the GOP. For the record, we are not all “xenophobic, homophobic, misogynist assholes” even though we define ourselves as conservative. Some of us actually do prefer to promote our conservative ideals without the “over the top” hysteria. I believe we all want the same things for ourselves and future generations – we just disagree on the means to that end.

But that’s my point, Geezer! You are generalizing about what a “current” conservative is. While I can see why you might get that impression, the reality is that there are more folks out there that don’t fit your current stereotype.

“For the record, we are not all “xenophobic, homophobic, misogynist assholes” even though we define ourselves as conservative.”

Yet, there are several prominent conservatives who have bashed Coke over the ad, and thousands of tweets out there with the hashtag #fuckcoke and using some of the nastiest racial, xenophobic, homophobic and misogynist language you can imagine. I know many conservatives who had no problem with the spot, but where are the prominent national GOP types celebrating the diversity shown in the ad?

You don’t get to carve out a space for yourself and call it “conservative.” Words have meanings. I could call myself a conservative and invent my own definition, but if I wasn’t a “xenophobic, homophobic, misogynist asshole” nobody would recognize me as a conservative. Nor should they.

My point, flylady, is that “conservative” no longer means what it did in William F. Buckley’s day.

If we’re going to get into the “not all conservatives are like that” argument, you’re going to have to explain to me why I shouldn’t generalize about and demonize conservatives. After all, that’s what conservatives have been doing about liberals for decades now.

Every time I read or listen to conservative media, I am bombarded by people who claim to know what liberals think, how they plot and scheme, and how they hate America. This has been constant for 30 years now, ever since that posturing jackass actor got himself elected.

Sorry, but my willingness to find common ground with conservatives elapsed several years ago now. People like you, flylady, are the ones who allowed them to do all this. So, regretfully, I have to lump you in with them, because you weren’t moved to protest until it all turned against you.

Another Mike – I agree with you! Wish there were more visible examples. As for the Coke ad specifically, Erick Erickson from Red State.Com comes to mind. He is quite outspoken on all things conservative, but had no issue with the ad at all.

With all due respect, Geezer, liberals and conservatives stereotype each other with equal disgrace and ignorance. Sadly, I can say the same about any time I read or listen to liberal media. Both “sides” can be ridiculous.

Lump me in if you will, but you have no idea what I have done or not done to “allow” or “protest”, so that really has no place in this discussion. Perhaps if we agreed to not automatically jump to personal judgements and attacks as soon as anyone presents a different point of view, and directed that energy toward finding solutions that actually worked, we’d all get the end result we want for the future.

Pandora – I don’t know how I can be more clear. Erick Erickson was used as an example of one who was not upset by the ad, period. He was not used as an example of those who do not fall into the current conservative stereotype. You are mixing several posts that make different points. I’m certain you really have the ability to follow, but are simply grasping at anything to start an argument??

But that’s just it, flylady. On THIS issue, Erick Erickson sounds reasonable. On another issue, he’ll be the nutjob and someone else will sound reasonable. The overall effect, however, is to use the threat of the freak-out to scare reasonable politicians into never doing anything reasonable. They constantly play to the wingnut base — a minority wing of a minority party.

Thirty years of liberals being reasonable and getting nothing while conservatives act crazy and get their way makes the path forward clear: Demonize the crazies, and their moderate enablers.

Nope. Sorry. You don’t get to carve out intricate parts to make your point. The Coca-Cola ad is just one more example of conservative behavior, but it isn’t the point.

When that ad aired people knew conservatives would react exactly the way they did. If you don’t like that then tell your party to stop being so predictable.

And please stop making liberals responsible for cleaning up your party’s tarnished image – a responsibility that conservatives seems to define as not pointing out conservative bad behavior. Not our job.

Geezer – I understand your point, although I don’t agree with all of it. Not so sure about your last paragraph there – but kudos to you for presenting your argument in a thoughtful and mature way. That’s how we should always debate.

Pandora – I actually agree with you on one point – when the ad aired even I knew what would soon follow. However, at no time have I ever considered holding liberals responsible for cleaning up the GOP’s “tarnished image”. That would be a scary prospect, don’t you agree? I do think that both sides do a great deal to create a bad image of the other, but the responsibility for correcting either party image lies with that party alone. Some do it better than others.

That has to be it for me today, but thanks to those of you who were willing to engage a conservative with a measure of intellect and decorum. Much better than the usual bashing and name-calling often exhibited by both sides! Cheers!

@flylady: There’s one difference between liberals and conservatives when it comes to hyperbole: Conservatives aren’t bombarded with a constant stream of claims that they hate America. I have noticed that lately conservatives are really sensitive to the charge of racism. They no longer use the n-word so they want credit for it.

Meanwhile, conservatives have been applying the “anti-American” canard for going on 80 years now, simply because we disagree about economic issues or think the US should live up to its own lofty rhetoric about its influence on the world. Which side has a more legitimate claim of misrepresentation?

Yeah, its not like liberals have been accusing the conservatives of anything for the last 80 years.

Flylady is no more responsible for conservatism than anyone on here is responsible for the liberal movement. There are plenty of people out there who consider themselves conservative and find many differences with the current state of conservatism in America. Andrew Sullivan, for example?

flylady is in the wrong place to try to change perceptions of the current conservative pool. The place to make a difference in how conservatives get assessed is with conservatives themselves — they’re the ones who need to police their own behavior so that the rest don’t get tarred with it.

And I’d say that the America conservatives claim to love doesn’t exist. Probably never did, either.

And who said that there aren’t? They still have the problem that the the behavior of those who seek to represent them ends up how they all get judged. And that is their problem, not mine. Andrew Sullivan gets quoted on this site largely because he tries to engage more thoughtfully — I don’t imagine that anyone who reads him regularly agrees with him always. Same with David Frum or Daniel Larison or any of the other conservatives whose first, second and third gears are not the usual homophobia, jingoism, misogyny, and xenophobia that currently passes for gang colors on the right. If this is the default gear of your party, you can’t blame me for noticing and for judging you accordingly.

Changing the perception of conservatives isn’t exactly my problem or my work. They are the only ones who can change themselves or their perception. And since they aren’t in the business of giving me the benefit of the doubt, there’s no point to not taking them at their own words.

“If this is the default gear of your party, you can’t blame me for noticing and for judging you accordingly.

Changing the perception of conservatives isn’t exactly my problem or my work. They are the only ones who can change themselves or their perception.”

Very well put. The silence among Republicans regarding the party’s basic acceptance of xenophobia, homophobia, and misogyny is all you need to know about why “conservative” has come to mean what it does.

Right. Yet they aren’t silent about *our* perceptions of their complicity in the mess they’ve presented themselves to be. Making my point again that they need to change themselves and not just invoke some privilege whereby what they say is true stands in for the reality my own eyes see everyday.

And hey, I’m here debating, so SA is pointing at the wrong people with the fear BS. Which is an ironic symptom of the problem, really.

What a great thread to read. The wife and I sometimes come here to feel better about wearing blue life perservers in the pool of red in which we swim. When we read the comments of the great contributers to this site we just appreciate our worn old blue perservers with joy. Thanks Pandora, Cassandra, Jason 330, Geezer and the others that proudly, and nicely, wore the blue while telling the flylady how it all shakes out. Well done all.
The wife and I do give her credit for a least not acting like a bully.

@SussexAnon: I’m curious. What have liberals said about conservatives for the last 80 years that equates with calling them traitors? And remember, conservatives who say that about liberals don’t mean it as hyperbole. I actually hear conservatives agreeing, constantly, that Obama is trying to destroy the country. Not that destroying the country is the byproduct of a faulty philosophy — they actually claim he only ran for public office so he could destroy America.

Please, by all means, show me what I’m missing. I think Ronald Reagan was a dull-witted, ambulatory turd, but I don’t recall anyone saying he hated America and was trying to destroy it. George W. Bush couldn’t find his ass with both hands in a phone booth, but nobody said he was trying to destroy America, even though he did.

After reading your comments, I realize that I erred earlier. I should have said “overly sensitive xenophobic, homophobic, misogynistic assholes.”